U.S. MNT Ready to Face Argentina at New Meadowlands Stadium

NewsMar 24, 2011

ARGENTINA AWAITS: The USAâ€™s first match on an international fixture date presents a tantalizing opportunity as they face two-time FIFA World Cup champion Argentina at New Meadowlands Stadium. With the U.S. gearing up for the Gold Cup and Argentina getting set for Copa America, both teams will be looking to impress. Argentina boasts an array of attacking talent led by FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, who returns to the site of the memorable match from 2008 in New Jersey. Kickoff in front of what is expected to be a capacity crowd is set for 7 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Univision. Fans can also follow the match on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker and on Twitter @ussoccer.

ALL DRESSED IN RED: The U.S. Menâ€™s National Team will debut a new Nike red jersey when they face Argentina on Saturday. Designed by Nike, the creation of the red national team kit was driven by consumer demand and completes a trio of jerseys, each representing one of the three colors of the U.S. flag â€“ red, white and blue. In a unique campaign called â€œ#RedAllOverâ€ U.S. Soccer and Nike provided fans with the opportunity to write a new motto that will be featured on the U.S. Menâ€™s National Teamâ€™s new red uniform. Fans had five days to submit their motto on Twitter and the most inspirational motto will be embroidered on the sleeve of the playersâ€™ uniforms they will wear against Argentina.

QUICK HITS

There are currently 22 players on the U.S. training camp roster in Cary. The coaching staff will determine the travel squad prior to Thursdayâ€™s departure for New Jersey. The team will dress 18 players on match day.Â

Jozy Altidore was the last player to arrive in camp, joining the group Tuesday evening.Â

Steve Cherundolo (groin), Stuart Holden (knee) and Zak Whitbread (back) were forced to withdraw from the original roster. Eric Lichaj serves as the only replacement.Â

The U.S. has played Argentina nine times in their history, holding a lifetime record of 2-6-1 against the South American juggernaut. Of those nine matches, only four have been played in the United States, with the other five taking place in neutral sites. The two U.S. victories include a 3-0 upset of the defending champions in the group phase of the 1995 Copa America, and a 1-0 win in 1999 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., when a Joe-Max Moore goal was the difference.Â

The last meeting was a thrilling 0-0 draw on June 8, 2008, in the USAâ€™s last match at Giants Stadium in front of a record crowd of 78,682 fans. That game concluded an incredible stretch of 11 matches for the U.S. that saw road matches against England and Spain, and was the USAâ€™s final match before the start of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying.Â

A total of eight U.S. players were on the field that day, including six starters (in bold): Michael Bradley, Jay DeMerit, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan (capt.), Maurice Edu, Tim Howard (ussoccer.com man of the match), Sacha Kljestan, and Oguchi Onyewu. More on that impressive evening later.Â

Also on the field that day was current two-time FIFA World Player of the Year, Lionel Messi.Â

Fourteen players on the U.S. roster were part of the squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.Â

Jay DeMerit is returning to the fold for the first time since last summerâ€™s run to the Round of 16 in South Africa. Joining Vancouver Whitecaps FC late last year, he made his debut in the 4-2 victory against Toronto last weekend.Â

Landon Donovan is the leading capwinner on the roster with 128 international appearances. With his next appearance he will assume sole possession of third place on the USAâ€™s all-time cap list, passing Marcelo Balboa. Coincidentally, he earned his 100th cap against Argentina in the teamsâ€™ previous meeting.Â

A total of 12 players on the roster have scored at least one goal for the United States. Donovan leads all U.S. scorers with 45 career goals; Dempsey will hit No. 20 with his next strike. Third most? U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra, who has a dozen.Â

Eighteen of the 22 players are plying their trade outside the U.S, representing clubs in 11 different countries.Â

The New York Red Bulls are the only team to send two players to Cary in Juan Agudelo and Tim Ream. Both youngsters earned their full team debut in the 1-0 against South Africa in the 1-0 win on Nov. 17, 2010 in the Nelson Mandela Challenge. With that appearance, Agudelo became the first alumnus of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy to play for the full team. Mixx Diskerud also made his first appearance that day, setting up Agudelo for the game-winner.Â

Edson Buddle, who moved in January to FC Ingolstadt in the German Second Bundesliga, scored his first goal for his new club on Jan. 21 against MSV Duisburg. In goal that day â€“ new U.S. international David Yelldell. The next day, Jonathan Spector nabbed his first EPL tally when he netted against Tim Howard in West Hamâ€™s 2-2 draw with Everton. Howard was also on the other end of Landon Donovanâ€™s first Major League Soccer goal, when the young San Jose Earthquakes forward scored against the young MetroStars goalkeeper in a 2-0 victory on May 20, 2001.Â

The U.S. is playing its second international of 2011, and the first on an international fixture date. After opening the year with a 1-1 draw against Chile, the match scheduled for Feb. 9 against Egypt in Cairo was canceled due to the developing situation in the capital at that time.Â

This is the USAâ€™s second match at New Meadowlands Stadium, having fallen 2-0 to five-time FIFA World Cup champion Brazil on Aug. 10, 2010, in the first match following the World Cup.Â

Overall, the USA holds a 4-2-5 record in the state of New Jersey.Â

Howard and Agudelo both hail from New Jersey. The U.S. goalkeeper is from North Brunswick and began his professional career with the MetroStars (now the Red Bulls), winning the 2001 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award. Altidore also spent a portion of his youth in the state, and was drafted in 2006 by the same club.

NEXT UP â€“ NASHVILLE: Three days after the Argentina match, the U.S. will face 2010 FIFA World Cup quarterfinalists Paraguay at LP Field in Nashville (TICKETS). Fox Soccer Channel and Telefutura will broadcast the match live at 7 p.m. CT, and fans can follow the match at ussoccer.comâ€™s MatchTracker and on Twitter @ussoccer. The U.S. will be making their third appearance in Nashville. LP Field hosted a final round World Cup qualifier on April 1, 2009, when Jozy Altidore became the youngest player in U.S. history to record a hat trick, pacing the U.S. to a 3-0 victory against Trinidad &Tobago. In April of 2008, the venue hosted the knockout round of the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament, where the U.S. Under-23 Menâ€™s National Team defeated Canada in the semifinals to become one of two teams from the region to qualify for Beijing.

EYES ON THE PRIZE: Several U.S. players have the opportunity to collect individual and team honors across Europe this season, two already having recorded their name in the record books. Clint Dempseyâ€™s 10th Premiership goal of the season â€“ scored against U.S. teammate Tim Howard in a 2-1 loss to Everton â€“ set the mark for most goals by a U.S. player in a season in the EPL. Up north in Glasgow, Maurice Edu earned another trophy with Rangers, the Glasgow side defeating Old Firm rivals Celtic in extra time on March 20 to capture the 2011 CIS Cup crown. In Holland, on-loan defender Oguchi Onyewu has enjoyed a resurgence with an FC Twente that remains in contention for three trophies: the Eredivisie title, the Dutch Cup, and the UEFA Europa League, where they face Villarreal in the quarterfinals. South in Belgium, Sacha Kljestan and Anderlecht currently hold the top spot in the league table. Kljestan has 20 league appearances already in his first season at the defending Belgian league champions.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: Including the match in 2008, a total of nine players have previous experience against Argentina. Three players were on the field in February of 2003, while Jay DeMerit is the lone representative from the young side that faced Argentina at the 2007 Copa America. The breakdown:

CAPTAIN CARLOS: Carlos Bocanegra is entering his fifth year as captain for the United States. After being first out of the tunnel for the first time on June 2, 2007, against China, he has worn the captainâ€™s armband 40 times, leading the U.S. at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He is also the second all-time among defenders in goals scored for the United States with 12 total, one behind Marcelo Balboa.

TURNED 50: With his appearance Oct. 12 against Colombia last year, Michael Bradley became the fourth youngest player in U.S. history to reach 50 caps. One of five U.S. players to play every minute at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he scored the game-tying goal against Slovenia that kept the USAâ€™s hopes of advancing alive. The 2007 U.S. Young Male Athlete of the Year has represented the United States at the World Cup level for both the full team and the U-20s, as well as at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

DOUBLE DEUTSCH: The only two U.S. players without a cap on this roster have a lot in common. Both were born in Germany with an American serviceman for a father and a German mother; both grew up in Germany, and both are making their debut in a U.S. national team camp. FC NÃ¼rnberg defender Timmy Chandler has captured a regular starting role, the 20-year old having quickly risen through the ranks before realizing his dream of being called into the U.S. camp. MSV Duisburg goalkeeper David Yelldell has had a different career trajectory, slowly earning his chops first in England and now the German Second Bundesliga where he has marshaled his side to a place in the DFB Cup final. Heâ€™s particularly proud that his efforts have paid off with a callup. Incidentally, they join a third German-American who has donned the stars and stripes in midfielder Jermaine Jones.

DUAL NATIONALS: Three players on the roster are in the unusual circumstance of not only having passports from two countries but also having represented both. Jones played for Germany in qualifying for the U-21 European Championship and in friendlies for the full team before requesting a change of association. Chandler played twice for the Germany U-15 team in friendlies, but never saw action in official competition. Born to an American mother and Norwegian father, Diskerud made two appearances for the U.S. at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt. Having debuted with the U.S. U-20 MNT at the Campos Verde International tournament in April 2008 where he recorded three assists against Northern Ireland, he then played against the U.S. for Norway at a U-18 event the following month.

THE BOB BRADLEY FACTFILE: As Bob Bradley continues the beginning of his second four-year cycle, a look at the stats from the first go around reveal an impressive list of achievements. In the four year cycle culminating in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the United States:

Won its group at the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1930 (that's 80 years ago), and for the first time ever in a four-team group.Â

Earned the first point and win for the U.S. in the third group game at the World Cup in eight tries by defeating Algeria.Â

Went unbeaten in group play during a World Cup for the first time ever, earning a 1-0-2 record.Â

Produced the best finish ever at a FIFA tournament, finishing second at the FIFA Confederations Cup.Â

Posted 1-1-1 record against No. 1-ranked teams, including a semifinal upset of Spain at the FIFA Confederations Cup, ending a 35 match unbeaten run for the Spaniards.Â

Only one of two teams to beat Spain since November of 2006.Â

Won the CONCACAF Gold Cup title in 2007 to qualify for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.Â

Finished in first place in CONCACAF qualifying, collecting the most road wins of any team in the region during the campaign while going unbeaten at home in nine matches.Â

Scored the most goals (42) of any team in the world in 2010 World Cup qualifying.Â

Posted the teamâ€™s best scoring and defending marks in a year with more than 10 games, scoring a record 2.14 goals per 90 minutes while allowing just .57 goals per 90 minutes in 2008.Â

Won three straight matches on the road for the first time in team history (Oct. 17, 2007 @ Switzerland, Nov. 17, 2007 @ South Africa and March 26, 2008 @ Poland).Â

Played seven matches against four teams ranked in the top five in the world at the time they stepped on the field against them (Argentina, Brazil-3, Italy, Spain-2).

STARTING OVER SOUTH OF THE BORDER: U.S. defender Jonathan Bornstein joined a rare list of players who have moved from MLS to Mexico when he joined UANL Tigres at the beginning of the season. Heâ€™s in a new country and playing a new position, and is pleasantly surprised by the life for an American footballer in the land of the USAâ€™s biggest rival.

THE GOLD CUP COMETH: This yearâ€™s first major competition for the United States hits in the summertime with the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where the U.S. will compete in Group B against Canada, Panama and Guadeloupe. The U.S. has captured the crown four times, and has appeared in the last three Gold Cup finals, collecting back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2007 while facing Mexico in the last two championship matches. Winning the 2011 version of the confederation championship has a massive bonus attached to it â€“ the right to play in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil just one year prior to the World Cup. That experience can be critical, as the USA learned during their fun to the final of the 2009 Confed Cup in South Africa where they defeated No.1-ranked Spain the semifinal. The U.S. team continues to hold the impressive distinction of never having lost a match in the group phase of the tournament, holding a lifetime record of 24-0-2 in round-robin play.

ITâ€™S ALL @ussoccer: Keep up with all U.S. Menâ€™s National Team news (in short form, of course) by following on Twitter @ussoccer. We have training tidbits, pre-game insight, photos, and much more, all in nearly real time!

BE OFFICIAL WHEN YOUâ€™RE WATCHING: Whatâ€™s the next best thing to being at a game surrounded by your fellow screaming fans? Watching a game at an Official U.S. Soccer Bar surrounded by your fellow screaming fans! Bars across the U.S. are becoming the destination spots to gather and watch your U.S. teams in an atmosphere that is loud and rowdy. Check the latest listings for the Official U.S. Soccer Bar in your area.

U.S. SOCCER ON FACEBOOK: U.S. Soccer is offering a fantastic way to follow its teams with the â€œOfficial U.S. Soccer Pageâ€ on Facebook. Visit the page to post videos, view photo galleries, and interact with other fans and follow the latest news from all U.S. Soccer teams. The Official U.S. Soccer Page on Facebook is the best place to keep with your favorite teams and make your voice heard in the U.S. Soccer community.

COPA COMING: After a 4-0 hammering against Germany in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, fourth-ranked Argentina are in search of the pieces that will win them their first silverware since 1993 when they last won Copa America, a fact that proves the challenge of winning major tournaments around the world. Make no mistake â€“ they have earned their ranking and have shown their capabilities with wins against Brazil and Spain in the last year. Nonetheless, despite boasting the two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi and a host of attacking talent, the Argentines have found titles remain elusive. Argentina head coach Sergio Batista is looking to the 2011 Copa America tournament, where his country is hosting the 43rd edition of the continental championship and has been drawn into Group A with Colombia, Japan and Bolivia. They are looking to erase the memory of the 2007 final when they took an unexpected 3-0 loss to Brazil, the USAâ€™s eventual opponent in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup final.

PLAYER HUNTING: Batista has called on several veterans to bolster a squad that is full of emerging talent. In addition to Messi and Argentinaâ€™s all-time leading capwinner Javier Zanetti, he has included regulars in the midfield corps in Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Mascherano. Amongst the prospects are Real Madrid Angel Di Maria, who has three goals in 18 international appearances. Of the 24 players on the roster, there are 12 with five caps or less.

ON BATISTA: Like Bob Bradley four years ago, Batista began his tenure with the interim tag and had it removed after three matches that included a 4-1 victory against defending World Cup champion Spain. He celebrated his appointment with a 1-0 win against regional rivals Brazil. A midfielder in his career, Batista was a member of the 1986 World Cup winning squad and also the team that reached the semifinal in 1990 in Italy.

VS. THE U.S.: The U.S. has played Argentina nine times in their history, holding a lifetime record of 2-6-1 against the South American juggernaut. Of those nine matches, only four have been played in the United States, with the other five taking place in neutral sites. The two U.S. victories include a 3-0 upset of the defending champions in the group phase of the 1995 Copa America, and a 1-0 win in 1999 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., when a Joe-Max Moore goal was the difference. The 0-0 draw at Giants Stadium in 2008 came one week before the start of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying for the United States.